Speed-regulating device for sound recording and reproducing machines.



G. OULTON, G. ABLETTKL W. E. LIGHTFOOT. SPEED REGULATING DEVICE FORSOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUGING MACHINES.

- APPLICATION PILD 113.23. 1909.

964,684, l"mamma Ju1y19,1910.`

lillllllli llllllIIIIIIIIIIEIIHIIIlm] Illllllllt M 15] Mw /M/ 772120722@UNITED STAJIES4 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE OULTON, CHARLES ABLETT, AND WILLIAM EDWARD LIGI-ITFOOT, FLIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

SEEED-REGULATING DEVIC FOR SOUND RECORDING AND IREIPRODTJ'CING MACHINESPatented July i9, i910.

Application led February 23, 1909. Serial No. 479,670.

To all whom it may concerm* Be it known that we, GEORGE OULroN,

CHARLES ABLETT, and WILLIAM EDWARD Liei-rrroo'r, subjects of the Klingof Great lritain and Ireland, residingat Liverpool, inthe county ofLancaster, ngland, have invented new and. useful Improvements in recordsand particularly to such machines' in which the speed of the motor canbe continuously varied so that the relative linear speed between therecord line and the stylus remains consta-nt, or otherwise stated, theangular speed of the motor increases or decreases according to whetherthe record commences at the periphery or near to the center of rotation.

TheV object of thisvinvention 'is to obtain the diilerential speed ofthe motor in ,a simple and eilicient *manner and dispense ,with anyconnection between the sound boX or carrier thereof and the speedcontrolling device, providing means at the saine time for indicating theproper position of the speed controlling device for records of differentdiameters.

The invention also provides that the motor can be r'un at a constantspeed so that the ordinary or standard disk 'records'can be usedfatwill.

Hitherto the speed of motors in recording and reproducing machines, hasbeen Vcontrolled by a cam actuated by or with the sound box carrier, thecani bearing against the brake lever so Vas totconstantly vary itsposition, the sound -lbox carrier in some cases being traversed or.;vguided solely by the spiral record' groove or line through the stylusand in other cases a screw and nut being used to traverse the saidcarrier" and cam together, the latter moving across the brake. lever incontact therewith. In these two cases it is obvious that the sound boxcarrier being connected directly or indirectly to the speed changingdevice, the correctl starting speed would synchronize with the positionof the stylus on the record disk.

According to our invention, the sound box .arm or carrier is'quiteindependent of the speed controlling device, and we employ a graduatedscale and pointer to indicate the proper starting speed for dilerentsized records. z

The drawing attached hereunto, illustrates our invention applied to theordinary speed controlling device used in sound re- `cording andreproducing machines.

In Figure 1 is represented an end elevation ot' the mechanism. Fig. 2represents a plan of the same looking `from underneath. Fig. 3represents a side elevation omitting some`of the parts for clearnesssake.

Referring to the several views, 1 represents the motor shaft, 2 the baselate of the mechanism, 3 theturntable or ast motion shaft, 4 thecentrifugal speed controlling device and 5 the brake lever. The brakearm 7 of the brake lever, carrying the leather or like brake shoe 8 isfixed to a spindle 9' centered betweerivthe `base 2 and a bracket 10.The other arm 1]: of the brake lever,

is in the case illustrated approximately at iightV angles to the arm 7.A slideway consisting of a rod 12 fixed at one end in the bracket r13 isarranged alongside the arm 11 and upon this rod is a slide piece 14carried at the end of .a tubular rod 15 into which the rod 12telescopes. A handle such as a/milled disk 16 is fixed atv the end ofthe 4 rod 15 for the purpose of drawing it in and 'out and turning itpartly round. f lhen the motor is Working, the brake disk 16 is drawntoward the brake arm 7 by the centrifugal action of the governor andkeeps the arm 11 pressed against the slide piece 14. The inside :tace 17of the arm 11 is approximately straight and when the nose 18 of theslide piece 1,4 is in Contact with the arm toward its lower `end as seenin Fig. 2, the said face 17 lies" at an agle in relation to the slidewayso that as the slidepiece is drawn out the. end of thearin 11.approaches the Slideway and the brakeshoe 8 recedes before theAgovernoidiskl. By this mea-ns, the motor can be setto run at anyconstant speed in the usual way by fixing. the position of the brake-arxn to accord with the desired speed, through the may also act as astoppwhen the slide piece is pushed right down, by pressing hard uponthe disk 16 when in its uppermost position. In order to automaticallyvary the speed of the shaft 3 as the motor is running down, by nieansollthe above described device, a fine *pitched screw 19 is mounted inbearings in the brackets 13 and 20, parallel with the slide piece 14.2'The brake slideway 12. rlhis screw is turned continuously by the motorthrough the pinion 21 gearing with one of the wheels 22 of the motor.The slidepiece 14 isprovided with a pivoted arm 23 formed with a halfnut 24: at its end, adapted to engage with the screw as shown, and byturning the milled disk 16, to be disengaged therewith. The finger 25acts as a stop to the further turning of the slide piece when the nut isdisengaged. The nose 18 of the slide piece is in the form of an arc asshown in Fig. 1, so that it remains in contact with the arm 11 when themilled disk 16 is turned either Way.

A convenient forni of indicator for setting the position of the slidepiece increlation to the brake lever so that the correct starting speedcan be obtained is shown in Fig. 3. The rod 15 is marked with a scale 26representing thediifereiit diameters of records, and a pointer 27 isshown fixed to the base 1.

By disengaging the nutfrom 'the screw and pushing the rod 15 inward toits full extent, the .slide iece 14 forces the arm 11 away from theideway and thereby jams the brake on vthe disk 16 preventing theinotorfrom working. By drawing the slide piece out the nut being stilldisengaged, the motor will run at a speed in accordance with thesensitiveness of the vernor and vvarying with'the position o the slidepiece in relation to the fulcrum of the lever, in-

themanner generally used. By turning the rod 15 partly around and thereb'engaging the nut with the screw, the latte revolving at a definiterat-e carries the slide piece along with it toward the fulcrum of thebrake lever, assuming the nut was engaged toward the end of thearm 11,thereby causing the brake shoe 8 to gradually recede from thebrake diskwhen at rest, at a definite rate and controlling the brake pressure`applied through the centrifugal action of the governor.

Provision ismade for the nut to run 0H the threads of the screw by theclearance space 28.

What we claim as our .invention and'desire to secure by. Letters Patentof the United States isz-I 1. In machines for recordingand repro.-ducing sounds, in which disk records are employed, the combination witha motor having a centrifugal frictional speed'governor with a pivotedbrake lever, of a slidable piece traversed by the motor along aslideway,an extending rod with handle and disengaging. means to set theslidable piece at any part of the slideway, an indicator to show theposition of the slidable piece on the slideway, an arm on the brakelever iii a plane parallel' with the slideway, and means on the slidingpiece and in connection with said arm so that as the sliding piece ismoved eeaesa 2. In machines for recording and repro-4 ducing sounds, inwhich disk records are employed, the combinationlv with a motor having acentrifugal frictional speed governor with a pivoted brake lever,i offanarm fixed to the brake lever and having a straight edge, a slidewayalongside said a/rin and in a plane parallel therewith, aslide piece onsaid slideway and having a sectoral face `to bear against the straightVedge of said arm,

said slide piece being adapted to turn angu- .larly on said slideway, ascrew geared to the motor so as to turn therewith andparallel with theslideway, a half nut-fixed to said slide piece and adapted to engagewithor be disengaged from the screw when the'slide piece is turned, anextending rod xed to the slidepiece and provided with4 a handle'so thatit can be. turned or drawn in--or out at will, and an indicator andscale for showing the longitudinal and engaging position of the slidepiece and nut on the slideway for the 'purpose herein set forth.

3. In machines for recording and reproducing sounds, in which diskvrecords are employed, the combination with a-'motor having a frictionalcentrifugal speed governor with a pivoted brake lever, of a straight armfixed to the brake lever, a round 4rod fixed alongside the said arm in aparallel plane, a screw geared to the motor so as to continuouslyrotate, and mounted in bearings so as to lie parallel with the said rod,a tube telescoped on said rod and having a handle at 'its outer end anda sectoralprojection'at its inner end adapted to bear against thestraight side ofthe said arm of thel brake lever and remain in contactwhile being turned around, a stop to limit the angular movement of saidtube, a half nut carried at the end of an arm iXed to the tube and saidscrew when the'tube is turned, a stationary pointer, and a scale markingon the said tube adapted to correspond with diiferent positions ofsectoral projection, substantially as described and for the purposeherein set forth. i i 4. A speed regulating device for sound recordingand reproducing machines comprising in combination, a governor for 'themachine provided with a braking member, a constant speed threaded rodoperated by the machine, and a longitudinally and rotativel adjustableindicating member provided wit i.

a nut engaging said rod and a portion en:

of said machine.

5. A speed regulating device for sound recording and reproducingmachines comprising in combination, a governor for the machine providedwith a braking member, a

.adapted to engage with and disengage from A 'gaging said member forautomatically and gradually reducing or increasing the speed 125,

const-ant speed threaded rod operated by the machine, a longitudinallyand rotatively adjustable graduated indicating member provided with anut engaging said rod and a portion engaging said member forautomatically and gradually reducing or increasing the speed of saidmachine, and a pointer projecting abreast of the graduation on saidindicating member.

6. A speed regulating device for sound recording-and reproducingmachines comprising in combination, a. governor for the inachineprovided with a braking member, a constant speed threaded rod operatedby the machine, and a longitudinally and rotatively adjustableindica-ting member pio vided with a nut engaging said rod and an arcuateportion engaging said member for automatically and gradually reducing orincreasing the speed of said machine, said arcuate member serving tomaintain engage ment with said braking memberwhen said nu t is out ofengagement with said rod.

A, speed regulating device for sound recording and reproducing machinescomprising in con'ibination, a governor for the machine provided With abraking member having an extension, a constant speed threaded rod ope'ated by tbc machine, and a. longitudinally and rrtatively adjustableindicating member provided with a mit engaging' said rod and a portionengaging .said meml #er for automatically and gradually reducing orincreasing the speed of said machine, and a mounting for said indicatormember for guiding the same abreast of said extension.

8. A speed regulating device for sound recording and reproducingmachines comprising in combination, a governor for the machine providedwith a braking member, a constant speed threaded element, and a1ongitudinally and rotatively adjustable and movable indicating memberhaving a portion engaging said braking member and a nut engaging Vsaidelement, said indicating member when adjusted to disengage the nut fromsaid element being adapted for longitudinal adjustment to stop themotor, allow it to run free under the governor, or retard the speed t0 afixed rate, and serving when adjusted to engage the nut With saidelement to automatically increase or decrease the speed of the machine.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE OUL'lON. CHARLES ABLETT. WILLIAM EDWARD LIGHTFOYI WitnessesWILLIAM Blier KENDRIGK, ltmLnY JAMES URQUI-IART.

